Improvement in bedsteads or cots



aniaasaas paw tam;

F' w; 'LADD, or CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Pateat'No. 107,509, dated September Pl), 1870; antedatedSeptember 8, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT 11v :snnsrnans on cows.

The Schedule referred toil: these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMON W. LADD, ofChelsea, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Wood Bedsteads; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame,'reference being bad to theaccompanying drawing which is made apartof this specification, and of which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Iigure2, a transverse section of a bedstead cmbodying my'improvement;

Similar letters indicate the same parts in the two figures.

The object of this invention is to provide a bedstead which shall havethe appearance of the modern French or other style of bedstead, and yetbe adapted to be made to assume a compact form, or, inother words,folded up, so that it may be conveniently removed, transported, orstored, without detaching the parts from each other; and which shall,furthermore, be less expensive, but notless sightly, or ornamental, orin any other particular less desin ble than the bedsteads which it isdesigned to supplant.

In orderthat others skilled in the ,art to which my invention appertainsmay be enabled to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed todescribe its construction and operation with reference to theaccompanying drawing.

A may represent an oblong frame, of any desirable dimensions, the sidesand ends whereof serve the purposes of the ordinary side and end piecesor rails of common bedsteads. v

The parts of the frame A are, by preference, permanently joinedtogether, but this is byno means essential so far as my inventionisconcerned.

B B represent wooden or partially wooden head and foot-boards, which mayconsist of posts or uprights I) b, connected by turned rods or bypanels, as

shown, and, in order to add to their appearance, I ornament the saidwooden posts, panels, or rods, by scrolling, molding, turning,engraving, carving, or painting, either or all,,as may bedesirable,theobject being to imitate a bedstead of ordinary construction.

These head and foot-boards, while they may be similar in structure tothose of other or common bedsteads, are applied in a different manner,as will now be explained.

The head or foot-board is made separately from the frame A, but theposts or uprights. b of the head or foot-board rest upon the side railsof the frame A, at the ends thereof, when thc boards are in averticalposition, as they are in use.

The posts 12 may extend-somewhat below the intermediatepart of I thehead or foot-board, and to each postb is attached an arm orconnecting-piece,

0, long enough to extend thence to the inside of the adjacent'sidepieces of the frame A, to which it is pivoted, as shown at a.

The head and.foot-boards B B, being thus connected to the frame of thebedstead by means of thearms 0, may be folded or turned toward eachother, so as to he made tolie flat upon the frame A, as represented bytheir dotted outlines in fig. 1.

The slats or bed-bottom may, if desired, he so applied that the mattressor bedding shall not interfere with the turning of the head andfoot-boards into a horizontal position.

D D are the legs upon which the frame A rests.

I apply'the legs independent of each other, so that, when in use, theymay present the appearance of the ordinary leg of a bedstead. Theselegs, for convenience, I prefer to have permanently attached to theframe A at (l. The legs, when in use or in their supporting posisitiou,are --held in place by the braces E, or -ot-her-.

wise. Tile braces are preferably employed. They-are strips of metal, oneend of each being permanently pivoted to the leg, and the other endadapted to he hookedrupon the frame A, as at e, or rice cersa.

' As before stated, this mode of attaching the legs is designed to'adaptthem to be folded up under or inside of the frame A, for convenience iustoring, re

moving-or shipping.

Another important advantage that a bedstead made upon the principles ofmy invention has over ordrnary bedsteads is the greater facility andchea'pness with which it can be combined with a spring bottom. v I

Crossbars may be secured to the frame A in such a manner as to be eitherpermanent or detachable, as may be desired, upon which the springs,forming either a part or the whole of the spring-bottom shall rest.

When the parts of the frame A arepermauently fastened together, it ispreferable to secure the spring supporting cross-bars permanently tothe'frame A", but I this is not essential.

bed frame, and producing 'a unitedbedstead and spring bottommuchchea'per than as if theybedstead and spring bottom were madeindependent of each other. r The head and foot-boards BB turn down overthe spring bottom in such a manner as'not to necessitate its removalwhen the bedstead is prepared for removal or shipment, as is the casewhen the ordinaryspring bottoms and {ordinary bedsteadsare usedtogether,

thus saving me and trouble in packing, and expense in moving, as thereare less packages.

I have thus descn'bed a cheap portable bedstead, which may be likenedunto a cot, yet possessing all the desirable features of a substantialbedstead, and having like stability and susceptibility of ornamentation.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new herein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-'- The combination of the head and foot-boards B B, the braces orconnecting-arms O, or equivalents, frame A, and hinged legs, operatingsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

The above signed by me this 18th day of January,

H. W. LADD.

Witnesses:

G. F. LADD, Jonx S. GRAY.

